Retort furnace



y 6, 1930- c. v MCINTIRE 1,757,644

' RETORT FURNACE Filed Aug. 20, 19:35 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR;

, ATTORNEY May 6, 1930. c. v. MCINTIRE 1,757,644

RETORT FURNACE Filed Aug. .20 1925 3 Sheets-Shee 2 l a mullliilii BY W at W ATTORNEY C. V. M INTIRE RETOR'I' FURNACE May 6, 1930.

Filed 'Aug. 20, 1925 :5 s heets sheet 3 Patented May 6, 1930 UNITED STATES CHARLES v. MCINTIBE, or EAST ORANGE, NEW IERsE ssrenon T CONSOLIDATION COAL rnonuors COMPANY, or wrriirrnerom DELAWARE. A con'ronnrron or DELAWARE RETORT URNACE I App1ication;filed:August20, 1925. Serial No. 51,523.}

l 7 My present invention relates to retort turnaces and particularly to retort furnaces of the type of my prior Patent No. 1,457,083. A.

characteristic feature of the retort furnace of my prior patent is the formation of a heat transmitting portion of the. retort wall of metal sections shaped and disposed'to form a segment of a circumferentially corrugated cylinder, and theprimary object of the present invention is to provide improvements in the form and disposition of such ,retort wall forming sections. More specific objects of.

V .the invention are to simplify the, form and to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter inwhich I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of my invention.

Of the drawings: Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section on ;the

broken line 1-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; x

Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial section on the line 33 of Fig.2 with parts broken away and in section;

Fig. 4 is a partial section on the line 4-4 ofFig. 2 and Fig 3; and

Fig. 5 is atransverse sectionillustrating' amodifiedzform of retort structure;

Fig. Gis a transverse section illustrating another modification;

Fig.7 is an enlarged partial sectionon the line'L-T ofFig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is an en'l'arged view partly in sec-' tion: on the line 88 of Fig. 6.

The retort A shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, is horizontally disposed, though its axis need the retort axis.

notbe exactly horizontal. and has a curved bottom wall formed o t metal section's shaped to provide circumferentially extending internaland'external grooves? and Z1, re-

spectively." Themetal sections B rest upon'a bed or retort housingwall formed of fire bricks, and which has its upper or inner cylindrical surface formed-with recesses or po ets C which unite with the grooves b" to form a, plurality of undulating heating gas fiues extend-ing longitudinally of the kiln fromheating gas inlet, ports C at the charge inlet'end of the kiln, to heating gasffoutle't ports C, at the discharge end of the kiln. As shownsthere are two of theselongitudinal jection C enters a corresponding groove Z2 and separates the latter into two 'sections one fiuesa'teach' 'sideof a' longitudinalrow of uprising projections'c from the wall 1C located beneath the' retort axis. Each proateach side'of the vertical plane including The heating gas inlet: ports C receive heating gases from the combustion chamber C which is provided ,fas shown, with burnerinlets i, to which fuel gas is supplied by pipe connections i, and air for combustion is supplied by pipe connections i The heatinggas outlet ports C are connected to an ofi-take flue C running to a stack or other draft creating device (not shown) .The. metal sections B are each trough shaped in" cross section "with one side edge shapedto .forma tongue B and with the other'side' edge reversely turnedto provide a channel B receiving the tongue B of an adjacent section. The sections '13 are arranged in end to end pairs, the joints between the abutting end edges B of which are overlapped b-y 'the fire brick projections-C At its upper end each section B is vformed with transverse projections B and 13*, the outer edges ofwhichbear against the inner side of the curvedwall G, and which unite to close 7 the upper ends of the grooves 79'. Each projection Bicomprises aportionlying inthe same plane with and really forming an extension of the adjacent section otjthe corresponding side edge tongue .13, andeach proection B is shaped to forman extension-of the corresponding. groove B to receive the V tongue portion of the traction. The provisions shownfor this purpose comprise levers extending through a wall portion C -of the retort housing above the upper edges of the wall C and each pivotally connected to the adjacent end of. the. cor-,

responding section B which is provided with a yoke lu B for the purpose. The outer end of each lever Dis acted uponvby a spring D to apply a downwardly acting pressure to v the upper'end of the corresponding wall section B. The sections B may be made of cast iron, or preferably may be east of one of the temperature work.

"more'highlyrefractory metallic falloys now coming into use for furnaceand otherihigh \Vith the described construction, the joints between the different sections B can be luted with clay or other luting material if andwhen this becomes necessary, and 1n practlce, of

course, are covered and sealed in largepart by the material treated in the retort. The sealing by the material working through the retort is especially, effective in the intended use ofthe retort for the low temperature distillation of'c'oal, because thecoal in the retortadjacent its charging end, where the heating gas temperatures are the highest and relative expansion of the parts is correspondingly large, is largely in a molten or semi-molten place by bolts E f condition. a

The luting of the-joints and the replacement of sections B which fail in operation are relatively simple and easy operations when the retort 1s outof servlce slnce the operat ons can" then be carried on from the interior of the retort and the joints to be luted and'the sections to be replaced are then readily acceSsible. In the use of a retort ofthe character specified for low temperature distillationof coal, itis usual to interruptthe retort for cleaning and inspectionevery three weeks or so. To facilitate inspection, cleaning and repairs, the retort isadvantageously provided as shown with a removable top section or cover Ewhich can be lifted off by an overhead traveling crane or like mechanism when the retort is closed down. The retort cover 'E normally rests on the upper edges of the housing wall portion C 9 at the side ofthe retort and the adjacent end portions of the retort housing, and may be detachably secured in The material to be treated is charged into the retort by a suitable feeding device F and the semi-cokeis discharged at the opposite end of the'retort through a suitably valved outlet connection G. The material is agitated in the retort and worked longitudinally structions previously described, I may advan through the latter from the inlet end of the retort to the outlet G by an oscillating stirrer which advantageously is of the type disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,479,827, grant-ed January 8, 1924, comprising a poweractuated oscillating shaft H which is cor-axial with the corrugation groovesb. As in my last mentioned patent, the shaft I-I carries a set of arms H which sweep through alternate grooves 6,- while the intermediate grooves b are swept by a corresponding set of arms H which alternate, longitudinally of the shaft, with the arms H, and are arranged in a crow angularly displaced about the axis ofthe shaft from the row of arms H. Cooperating with the arms H and H are'stationary arms'or vanes Eand' E In accordance-with the present invention the arms E'andE are secured to the removable retort top E. The arms E are 1n thesam'e 35 plane as the stirrer arms H and the arms E are in the same plane as the stirrer arms H. The shaft H is rotatable'in the 'counter-' clockwise directionfor about 180 from the position shown in Fig. 2 and in the clockoo wise direction from theposition shown in i F ig. 2 for about As the shaft H is oscillated through thedescribed range of movement, the arms E remove material from the sides of the arms H, and the arms E remove s") material from'the sides of, the stirrer arms H The mounting of the arms ELand E onthe cover E obviously facilitates the inspectionv and repair of the retort when the cover E is removed; The retort is formed with a ioo suitable gas take-off "connection I, which, as shown, leads from the removable cover vE, and comprises piping which can be easily opened to ermit the removal'of-the cover E.

in that pockets'C", are omitted, and asingle longitudinal off-take or stack connection flue; C is Drovided. The flue C isconnected by ports'C -at opposite sides'of the masonry projections C to the flue channels I). In Fig.

5, fuel and air for its combustion is supplied to the 'flues b" at their upper ends through, j

connections'P" to those channels;

Instead of metal wall forming sections with integral portions for closing the upper ends 7 of the grooves B as are shown in thecon-Q.

channels C in the masonry CA, and s'upplyi tageously employ a construction as'shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8 n whichseparate end closlng members M are provided. In'this' constructlon the body portions of the troughshaped wall forming sections BA employed,

are similar in transverse section to the members B first described. Each section BA is formed at its upper end with anaxially ex tending slot B formed in the bottom of the trough portion of the member, and receiving the corresponding side flanges of a corresponding pair of end members M. Each end member M'has an inner portion of inverted trough shape which fits over the meeting side edges of an adjacent pair of sections BA and has lips N at its lower edges which extend through the slots B of the two sections BA into grooves C formed in the subjacent masonry bed CB. The latter, except as it is modified to'co-operate with therend members M, may be similareither to the masonry bed C of Figs. 1 and 2, or to the masonry bed CA of Fig. 5. Each groove C is bifurcated at its upper end, each bifurcation communicating with a transverse groove C in the masonry which also communicates with the bifurcation of the groove C receiving the other side edge of the same member Ma The outer portion of each end member is in the form of a box triangular in cross section with the bottom wall M thereof terminating at its inner end in a transverse flange portion M which enters the corresponding groove C and merges into the lower portions of the corresponding side edge lips M. v

Each member M extends through an ape-rture formed for the purpose in a metallic portion (1 of the housing wall of the retort, provided in this construction and extending be tween the masonry bed CB and the upper portion C of the retort housing. The outer portion of each member M forms a lever corresponding in general purpose to the lever D of the construction first described and similarly acted upon by a spring D. The action of the springs D on thelever ends M of the members M causes the latter to apply pressure to the upper end of the sections BA tendmay be observed through the inspection openings N. The joints between each member M and the two sections BA with which it 00- operates, and also the joints between the lips M and flange M and the adjacent walls of the grooves C and C may be sealed with fire clay or other luting material through the corresponding inspection opening N, though preferably the part N is removed to facilitate such luting when it becomes necessary.

joints.

The"memberstM and N arepreferab'lyshaped, V

was shown, to provide a space for .fire clay "or ;other luting material for h sealing the joints between them; and similarly each memberM and the member C are relativelyeshaped to provide (a space 'for joint-sealingormluting material. V j v Whale in accordance with the provisions: of

the statutes, 1 haveillustrated and-described. the best form ofierrrbodiment of my invention.

now irr rownito n'ie",it .wzi'll-ibeapparent to those skilled =in tlre art that changes may :be made :in the' form of the apparatus disclosed withwit departing-from thespirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims, and s that in 'somecases certain features of my invention may. be usedito advantag'erwith'ouf a corresponding use of other features... 5.

Y Having now described my invention, what "I claim as new 'and desire'to secure :by Let-- tersPatent i's:

.1. A corrugated retort 'wall'forined tof arcshaped m'etallic sect-ions trough shaped in transverse section and arranged side by side with the adjacent side edges of adjacent sections' shaped to form a tongu and groove joint for connecting saidj s'ections. 1 2. Ahorizon'tal retort comprising: a ;cor-

rugated retort wall iformejd of side Iby side jarc-sh=aped metallic sections-trough shapedin transverseseotion, thesideed'ges of adjacentseotions forming overlapping joints, and provisions for sealing said overlapping A retort comprising arbottom-p'art of refractory m ateri'al having a concave upper surface and almetallicfl ining for saidsurface formed of "side-by si'de arceshaped'se'ctions,

trough'shaped in transverse sectionand provided at one zend withtransverse web p,or--. tions,the web portions at thecorre'sponding ends of adjacent sectionsuufiting torlose the ends-of the channels formed "between the adjaceift.sidesioffadjacentsections and said roncave surface. V

4. A horizontal retort comprising a bot: tom'part of refractory material having a concave upper surface and a metallic lining for said surface formed of'side by side areshaped sections each trough shaped in trans-"- verse section and provided at one end with transverse web portions, said web portions uniting with the Web portions at the corresponding ends ofadj acent sections to close the corresponding ends of the channels formed betweenthe adjacent sides of adjacent sections and said concave surface.

5. A horizontal retort comprising a bottom part of refractory material having a concave upper surface and having a row of parts having tapered sides and projecting upwardly from said surface, and a metallic lining for said surface formed of arc-shaped sections trough shaped in transverse section arranged side by side with the sides of said sections fitting against the tapered sides of said parts whereby the'arc-shaped channels formed by the adjacent sides of adjacent sections and said concave surface are closed by said parts.

'6. A horizontal retort comprising a bottom Q part of refractory material having a'concave upper surface With a row of refractory parts projectingupward therefrom and a metallic lining for said surface comprising tWo rows of arc-shaped circumferentially extending metallic sections each trough shaped'in trans verse section and with-the sectionsin'one row arranged end to end With the sections in the o other row. and with the joints between :the abutting ends of the sections closed at the 1111- der sides of the sections by the projecting refractory parts.

7. A horizontal retort substantially 'circulair in'vertical cross section comprisinga' bottom part and a semi-cylindrical removable upper part, an oscillatable charge stirring member comprising a shaft axially mounted -in.saidretortiandprovidedgwith a pair of angularly spaced radial arms, and separate cleaning devices for each of said arms car ried by said removable upper part.

1 8. A' horizontal retort comprising abottom part of refractory material: having a concave upper surface and a metallic lining for said surface formed of arc-shaped sections trough shapedin transverse section arranged SlClG bytslde, said surface being formed with depressions Which cooperate W1th the cir- =cun1ferential grooves formed at. the outer side ofsaid lining to providefiues extendingslongitudinall-y of the retort, and means for supplying heating gases to the fines adjacent one end of the retort, andfor Withdrawing the heating gases atithe opposite 7 end: of the retort.

Signed at Fairmont, in the county of --Marion and State of WVest; Virginia this 

